Blue Origin plans to return its Florida launch site to a dual-deck facility to support its larger, more powerful New Glenn “9×4” rocket, which is still in development. As facility repairs continue following the explosion of one of Blue Origin’s “7×2” New Glenn rockets during testing at Cape Canaveral Space Force Station’s Launch Complex-36 in May, the company has announced its intention to expand the site with an additional pad. The company also plans to build operations infrastructure for the complex on nearby land, which will include a vertical integration facility (VIF) for the New Glenn 9×4 vehicle and a payload processing facility (PPF). Blue Origin has expressed confidence in its ability to complete repairs to its existing LC-36 platform (LC-36A) in time for the New Glenn 7×2 to relaunch later in the year, but the company did not indicate a timeline for the readiness of the LC-36B or an expected debut of the New Glenn 9×4. The 7×2 and 9×4 designations are a denotation of the rocket engine configurations. It’s similar to SpaceX’s name for the Falcon 9 rocket, which is powered by nine Merlin 1D engines in its first stage, arranged in a circle of eight around a single engine in the center. New Glenn’s first stage is powered by Blue Origin’s BE-4 engines, and the rocket’s second stage uses BE-3U. Both New Glenn first stage configurations are designed for landing and reuse. The 7×2 flies with seven BE-4 engines in its first stage and two BE-3U in its second stage. Subsequently, the New Glenn 9×4, taller and yet to be released, will be powered by nine BE-4 engines in its first stage and four BE-3U in its second stage. Therefore, it will be able to launch larger and heavier payloads into space. You may like For approximately four decades starting in the 1960s, LC-36 was home to two platforms that supported the Atlas-Centaur family and, later, the Atlas I, II and III rockets. At that time, the pads hosted launches of NASA’s Surveyor, Mariner and Pioneer probes, as well as commercial and national security payloads. But that era ended in the mid-aughts when those Atlas rockets were retired. LC-36A made its final launch in 2004, LC-36B launched its last rocket in 2005 and the complex was decommissioned and demolished. A rendering of the Vertical Integration Facility with Launch Complexes 36A and 36B in the distance. (Image credit: Blue Origin) Blue Origin took over the lease of LC-36 in 2015, began construction of its own launch facility in 2016, and launched the first New Glenn 7×2 rocket from the facility in 2025. Since that debut, New Glenn has flown two more missions, with the most recent lifting off in April. The company had planned between eight and 12 launches in 2026, but May’s static test explosion has reduced that number to a hopeful one (1). The fourth New Glenn (NG-4) rocket was scheduled to launch a stack of Amazon Leo wireless Internet satellites into orbit before its destruction during testing on May 8, which also caused extensive damage to LC-36 facilities. Less than a month later, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp provided a repair update with assurances that New Glenn would be flying again before the end of 2026. He also outlined some of the first upgrades that would be integrated into the LC-36 as a result of the unexpected repairs, including replacing New Glenn’s mounting transporter with “an alternative vertical conop (operating concept)” to transport the rocket to the pad. Proud to honor the legacy of Launch Complex 36. LC-36A and flying again this year remains our priority. In parallel with that work, a separate team is beginning work on LC-36B, the operational home of New Glenn’s 9×4. We are sourcing 2,500 tons of steel columns that will be… https://t.co/7MkYajmGLzAugust 12, 2026 “LC-36 has served as a cornerstone of American spaceflight for decades, supporting a wide range of missions for NASA and commercial partners,” Blue Origin said in a statement. “Now, this historic site is entering a new era, boosting New Glenn’s operations.” According to Limp, the additional platform will require up to 2,500 tons of steel, much of which will go toward the construction of a 700-foot-tall (213-meter) launch tower. operational home for the New Glenn 9×4,” Limp said in an Aug. 12 social media post.
